Young offensive line holds key for Dragons
Junction City enters the 2022 season with some uncertainty on offense.
Having graduated the core of players that helped the Dragons win the 2A state title in 2018, reach the state finals in 2019 and state semifinals in 2020, Junction City is counting on younger players to step in with a mix of returning starters.
Senior Decoreon Dubose returns as the Dragons’ quarterback after playing there down the stretch last year.
“Corey is doing a great job of teaching as we’re teaching,” Junction City coach David Carpenter said. “Corey is a true dual-threat type guy. He can run with the ball and he runs well and his passing has improved so much from his sophomore year. He helped us being able to do a lot of 7-on-7’s, just throwing the football and trying to read the secondary.”
Taylen Owens, a sophomore, is the backup.
“He is learning from him (Dubose),” Carpenter said. “There’s a lot of good between those two. He’s always had a good arm and his accuracy has been pretty good. With all of the drill work that we’re doing, that’s getting so much better. His arm strength is getting better from just throwing the football as much as we’ve been throwing it.”
Jordavion Williams, a junior who rushed for 638 yards and five touchdowns last year, will be counted on to lead the Dragons’ ground game.
“He’s the front runner,” Carpenter said. “He got a lot of playing time and he took advantage of it. He is a small guy, but he’s strong and really quick. He hits the hole as fast as running back we’ve had around here. When he takes off on his first step, he’s going. We do an awful lot of work on our cuts and drill work. His feet are getting so much better. He’s got very quick feet, he’s got strength and speed. When you put that all together, you hope it all works out for the best.”
Joining Williams in the backfield is Hayden Hudson, a junior who played at tight end last year.
“He’s learning and Jordavion is helping him learn,” Carpenter said. “It’s a pretty good little deal going on. A lot of us coaching and them trying to learn that way
and guys helping each other. He is definitely one of the stronger guys on the team. He has very good speed.
“The difference in those two guys is you have your jitterbug back and you have your power-type back. Whenever one of them is in, you're going to see the quick-hit, jump-around-and-go moves. When Hudson gets in, he is the power-type runner. He runs as hard as he can.”
The Dragons have some depth at wide receiver, and they also have playmakers in senior Jakourian Key and junior Jay Carter.
“Some of the catches that the guys make,” Carpenter said when asked about the best attribute his receivers have. “When you're in the air and make all kinds of wild and crazy catches, but you get to playing some 7-on-7 and they're still able to do it. With Carter and Key, when the ball hits their hands, you don't hear it.
“It's not a thump. Those guys have soft hands. They catch the ball and bring it in and you just go, ‘Wow!' They look good at it. It also helps that you have a pair of 6-4 guys that can get out on either side of your offensive alignment. Both of them are tall, can catch and run. They ran on our spring relay team in track. All of those things play in together real well.”
Williams and Hudson can also play on the outside when necessary and sophomore Jaxson Thurmon is also in the mix.
“There's so many different little things that we can use with those guys,” Carpenter said of the combinations the Dragons can use.
With Hudson joining Williams in the backfield, senior Kristopher Norman will play at tight end.
“This is his third year to play tight end,” Carpenter said. “He's a good blocker, he's a good runner, he understands what the offense is trying to do.”
A key area for the Dragons will be on the offensive line.
Javeion Davis, a junior, is working at left tackle with sophomore Ramarkeus Singleton at left guard. Sophomore Tony Hodges is at center. The right side of the line has senior Bryan Estrada at guard and junior Jaylon Ivey at tackle.
“Every day, they get better at what they're doing,” Carpenter said. “We've got 10 guys on the line right now, and we go from one extreme to the other. From the 6-2, 310-pound lineman that can run and move all the way down to the 180-pound lineman that can run and move. We have variety across the line to be able to help cover each other. Right now, they're learning the moves and how to get proper contact on a body to block and all of those things. When you're blocking a dummy with no shoulder pads, that's easy to do, so we're waiting to see some real blocking to know what we can and can't do.”
For the Dragons to be successful on offense, Carpenter said the growth and development of the line will be pivotal.
“When you're sitting there and you have two seniors on the offense and the rest of them are sophomores and juniors, so when you have that many young guys playing because we've graduated so many seniors, right now these guys are trying to battle and find out exactly where they are,” Carpenter said. “That's the good thing about it because they all know that they all have a shot to play, so that makes the competition go better on who is doing what. That really helps us out.”